WC132 SeptOct 2023 - Magazine - Page 10
WASTEWATER
ECONSE WATER TECHNOLOGIES was recently recognized
with a Water Canada Award for their innovative wastewater
project at Bench Brewing Company. The solution treats the
brewery’s industrial effluent for non-potable reuse including
irrigation, enabling the brewery to reach its goal of zero
wastewater footprint.
With the help of
Econse, Bench
Brewing Co. can
focus on making
great beer.
This strategy mitigates the risk of spikes or spills
that could harm the brewery, environment, or local
wastewater treatment plant.
By using the Econse system, Bench Brewery can
focus on its zero-waste goals, reusing the collected
wastewater solids for animal feed, compost, and
fertilizer, and the non-potable reuse treated water for
agricultural drip irrigation.
Automated solutions and ease of use
Like many growing entrepreneurial businesses, Bench
operates with a lean and hardworking team. As they
continue on their growth path, they couldn’t afford
to take time and resources away from their core beer
operations and put it towards the maintenance of
their wastewater system. They needed a sustainable,
long-term solution that also minimized the time and
effort required from their highly skilled production
staff.
In response to this, Econse engineers upgraded
Bench’s treatment process and controls into a nearly
self-running system, employing a ‘lights-out’ automation strategy, complemented by remote monitoring
capabilities, complete with WIFI alerts and alarms.
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WATER C AN ADA • SEP TEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
Strengthening scalability
In early 2023 Bench experienced a spike in their production forecast, resulting in an overnight doubling
in the volume of their wastewater. “These are good
problems to have,” says Davy after receiving the call.
Since the Econse solution is modular and expandable within the same original footprint, treatment
volumes will be able to double without impacting
the quality of the outputs. A larger irrigation holding
pond was built to accommodate the increased volume, and agricultural activities will expand to supply
apples for the new cider business, taking the system
from treating 25,000 L per day to handling volumes
up to 50,000 L per day.
As the climate crisis escalates, corporate entities
are increasingly acknowledging the influence of water
on their operations and communities. While carbon
reduction is often highlighted, the urgency to mitigate
industrial wastewater pollution is reaching a critical
point. Offering readily implementable solutions provides a significant victory for businesses, governments,
and the environment, enabling actionable steps, target
achievement, and responsible business growth.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
Econse
The treatment system’s real-time
alerts inform brewery staff of system
anomalies, helping avert major incidents
and reducing operator time spent on
wastewater management. It also simplifies reporting for staff and regulators. It
can now be maintained with minimum
operator involvement and supported
with regular maintenance by Econse’s
service team.
“Bench Brewing’s core business is
making high-quality beer, and we wanted to enable them with a system that
could keep their talented team focused
on that. We realized automation is the
future of water treatment,” says Davy.
